A Young Man's Trials
by VTPilot045
Summary: Chapter 3 is now uploaded. Shinji awakens...
1. Arrival

This is my first fanfic, I would appreciate any CC to tell me how my writing style is. BTW, just a slight warning, while I believe that NGE was one of the best animes ever made, it was a little too angsty for me so be prepared for some OOC, but not too much I hope. Furthermore, I've seen all of the series and read part of the manga, but I haven't seen the movies yet. They haven't been released yet where I live and won't be until later on this year but I do know the plot line behind them so I am thinking about finishing this fic around the time of the movies, I haven't decided yet, but I will be blending in elements from the manga and the series, at least up to the point where I have read the manga which is where Shinji and Asuka have just defeated the 7th angel.  
  
Disclaimer: Look, I'm a poor 17-year-old teenager. I don't own Evangelion, that honor belongs to Gainax and ADV. If I did own Eva, I would be rich so don't sue me. I'm not making a profit off of this fanfic and you would lose more money in the legal process than you would gain from suing me. Thank you.  
  
  
Neon Genesis Evangelion:  
A Young Man's Trials  
Chapter 1  
  
  
"Maybe I should find a shelter," Shinji Ikari said as he looked around the deserted city of Tokyo 3. Suddenly, a vision caught his eye, what looked to be a girl with blue hair in a school uniform. Another noise sounded in the sky and Shinji looked up to see what was going on. When he looked back at where the girl had been standing, she had disappeared. His gaze lingered on the spot where he had just seen her and quietly wondered if he needed to get his eyes checked.  
Again, he heard a high pitched whine, but this time he saw several UN fighters backing up from something that was crashing closer to where he was. A few moments later, it appeared, a titanic monstrosity that was simply wading through everything the UN could throw at it. As Shinji stood there, paralyzed, a missile flew above him, nearly killing him as it went on to self-immolation.  
After that missile over flew him, he crashed down unceremoniously onto his butt and covered his eyes with his hands. At that moment, a blue sports car appeared out of nowhere in front of him with its doors already open.  
"I'm not late am I?"  
"Miss Katsuragi?"  
"Yeah, get in Shinji!"  
Not wasting another second, Shinji quickly grabbed his bag and ran to the passenger side and climbed in. The car started to zoom off again even before Shinji had closed his door. As he quickly buckled in, he looked behind them at the monster.  
"What is that thing?" he asked.  
"You're calmer than you should be right now Shinji," Misato replied.  
"You think so?"  
"Yes. That thing is an Angel."  
"An Angel?"  
The pair lapsed into silence as they drove on through the city, all the while; the UN was trying to kill the Angel. As they neared the crest of a ridge outside the city, Misato stopped the car and pulled out a pair of binoculars and leaned out past Shinji to look at the angel. During this process, Shinji was trying to stop from getting a nosebleed from his face's close proximity to Misato's cleavage.  
"Wait a minute, they're all leaving! They're going to use an N2 mine! Get down!" she suddenly yelled. As she yelled this out, she pushed Shinji down and covered him with her own body as the N2 mine suddenly detonated and the shockwave hit them and threw the sports car back and inverted it. (AN: If an N2 mine is a more powerful version of an H-Bomb, shouldn't the firestorm that came after the blast have melted their skin off? Or left their shadows a permanent imprint on the car?)  
After getting out of the car, the pair quickly set about flipping the car onto its wheels. Once this was done, Misato "borrowed" some batteries from a nearby gas station to charge her car since the EMP from the blast had wiped out hers.  
"I'm almost done here Shinji. We can go in another few minutes," Misato said.  
"Miss Katsuragi," Shinji started.  
"Ah, don't call me that, just Misato is fine Shinji," Misato interrupted.  
"Oh, okay Misato. Um, do you know why my father called me here?" Shinji asked.  
"Actually, I don't know Shinji. All I know is that he called for you to come and I volunteered to come and pick you up," Misato grunted out as she closed the hood. "Well she's ready! Let's go!"  
"Right."  
  
  
"Listen, can you arrange an elevator? An express of course! Well I did volunteer to go and pick him up so his safety is my top priority! Right, bye!" Misato closed her cell phone and turned to the young man in her passenger seat. "By the way Shinji, do you have your security card?"  
"Oh right, here it is," Shinji replied as he rummaged through his bag.  
"Thanks Shinji. Here, start reading through this."  
"NERV. My father's organization. Misato, what does NERV do?"  
"You mean you don't know? You're teacher didn't tell you?"  
"Oh so you mean the NERV is in the honorable business of saving the world?" Shinji chuckled mirthlessly.  
"Hey is that so hard to believe?"  
"Actually yeah. Somehow, I just can't see what NERV is doing to save the world."  
The conversation died as the car pulled into the elevator and started to descend. Shinji took this as his cue to start reading from the booklet that Misato had given him. As he read through the contents of the book, he couldn't help but think about why his father had called him. Suddenly, light filled the area the car was descending through and he looked up in surprise.  
"Whoa, it's a real Geofront!" Shinji yelled.  
"That's right. This is where NERV headquarters is. A fortress for all mankind and the key to the salvation of mankind," Misato replied.  
"I didn't believe that something like this actually existed!"  
"I'll agree with you there, I didn't believe it either when I saw it but it's all real and right there."  
"You work in there?"  
"Yup! I'm the Tactical Operations Officer of NERV!"  
The elevator stopped its descent and Misato parked the blue sports car and got out with Shinji following her lead. As they worked through the levels of NERV HQ, it became increasingly apparent that Misato had gotten them lost. Shinji himself didn't care too much as he read the booklet as they walked.  
"Geez, why is it so hard to get to wherever you need to go in this place?" Misato started grumbling.  
The pair entered an elevator and Misato again tried to decipher what the map was saying. When the doors opened again, a blonde woman in a lab coat was waiting.  
"Captain Katsuragi, we have neither the time nor the manpower to come out and hold your hand so that you can find out where you need to go!" she yelled.  
"Sorry Ritsuko!"  
"Hmmph. Well, is this him, the third child?" Ritsuko asked.  
"Yep, Shinji Ikari, but he's like his father in the social department," Misato replied.  
Still oblivious to the conversation, Shinji merely continued to read and follow the two ladies to their destination.  
"Will Unit 01 work?" Misato asked.  
"The chance of activation is exactly .0000000001% or the O-9 factor," Ritsuko replied.  
"Then it won't work?"  
"Don't be silly, it's O-9, as in Oni, a Japanese devil."  
The group entered a room and suddenly, the lights went out.  
"HEY! Who killed the lights?" Shinji yelled out.  
No sooner had he said this when the overhead lights came on, blinding him for a second. When he could see again, he screamed at what he saw, a giant robotic face.  
  
  
End Chapter 1  
  
AN: Well, right now, I'm trying to keep it as much to the series as possible, but as soon as the battle gets underway with the 3rd angel, it will start to change a little. Unit 01 will still go beserk, but some of the plotline leading up to that will change, as will the aftereffects. I hope you enjoyed it, please review!  



	2. Promise

Neon Genesis Evangelion:  
A Young Man's Trial  
Chapter 2  
  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Eva. I wish I did, but I don't. So please, please don't sue me!  
  
  
"What is this??" Shinji yelled out.  
"This is an Evangelion. Man's ultimate fighting machine," Ritsuko replied.  
"Is this my Father's work?"  
"Correct," a deep voice came.  
Shinji looked up to see a man, in a dark jacket and dark pants with tinted glasses. Both of his hands were in white gloves and his right was in his pocket. It was his father.  
"Father… why did you call me here?" Shinji asked.  
"Because I have a use for you. You must pilot Evangelion Unit 01."  
"What the hell are you talking about? I've never even seen one of these things before! How the hell do you expect me to pilot it? There must be someone else that you can get!"  
"There is no one else."  
"I don't believe you! Why the hell don't you pilot it yourself father?"  
After Shinji screamed this out, Gendo Ikari turned to his right and spoke a few words that Shinji could not hear. The next thing he knew, his father turned back to him with a cold look in his eyes.  
"If you will not pilot, then leave."  
Shinji looked up at his father and quietly picked up his bag and prepared to leave when a door opened to his right. A pair of doctors were pushing a hospital bed with a young girl on the bed. He watched in horror as he saw her terrible wounds and the blood that was seeping through the bandages that was beginning to soak the bed.  
"WHAT THE HELL? YOU WOULD HAVE HER PILOT? SHE'S TOO BADLY HURT FATHER!" Shinji screamed.  
"There is no one else."  
At that moment, an explosion rocked the hanger and several cross beams began a silent descent from the ceiling towards the gantry that Shinji was standing on. Without realizing what he was doing, he started in a sprint towards the injured girl. When he reached her, the bed she was on was beginning to overturn.  
With a strength that desperation gives, he caught her before she fell onto the ground and continued to run with her in his arms. But the hospital bed tripped him up and they both fell to the ground. Shinji managed to crawl over to where the girl lay and covered her body with his own, expecting the end to come.  
What he got was quite different. Shinji heard a screech of metal and another crash of a cross beam and closed his eyes, expecting to die within the next few seconds. After a minute had passed, and the fact that he felt no pain, he opened his eyes, perplexed as to what had just happened. At that moment, he noticed that he was covered by a shadow of a giant hand. When he looked up, he saw that the hand of the Eva was over him.  
Shinji heard some screaming coming from Ritsuko but paid no attention as he raised the young girl into his arms once again. She was whimpering in pain, unable to even open her eyes. Her blue hair was matted down to her skull from sweat and blood seeped through her bandages, staining Shinji's hands and clothing.  
"All right father. I'll do it," Shinji said as he looked at the girl. Leaning closer to her, he whispered, "I will protect you."  
All he heard were whimpers of pain.  
  
  
  
A few minutes later, Shinji was sitting inside of the entry plug in Unit 01, waiting. His face wore determined expression and his thoughts were on merely one thing, to keep his promise, no matter what.  
"Filling the entry plug," came a voice across the speakers.  
"What the hell? Water?" Shinji asked, quickly losing his determined look for a look of sheer panic.  
"Don't worry, once the LCL fills your lungs, it will oxygenate your blood," Ritsuko's voice came.  
Nevertheless, Shinji screamed and tried to hold his breath as panic set in. All the while he was thinking, 'Damn it! At this rate, I'm going to die before I even get to the actual fight!' Finally, unable to hold in his breath for any longer, he released it and sucked in the water and found that he could breathe normally but felt a queasiness in his stomach. "I'm goeng do be sick."  
"Quit your whining! You're not as cute as you think you know!" Misato yelled.  
Calming down, Shinji again began to think about that girl. He wondered about who she was and what was going on around NERV. Gaining some courage, he asked "Misato? Who was that girl?"  
"Which girl? The cute one we passed on the way here? One of the girls in the command center? Although, don't you think that this is a bad time to be trying to hit on someone?"  
"WHAT? NO! IT'S NOT LIKE THAT! I just want to know who that blue haired girl was!" Shinji's face was turning an interesting shade of red.  
"Oh her? That was Rei Ayanami, but she's going to be in the hospital for a while, so I don't think you can ask her out yet." Misato grinned.  
"I don't want to ask her out yet!"  
"Oh? So you do want to?"  
"Ye, I mean no!" Shinji's face suddenly became an even brighter red than Rei's eye color.  
Guffaws could be heard over the comm link in the command center as everyone there had a laugh at Shinji's expense but were quickly quieted down when Commander Ikari returned.  
"Is Unit 01 ready?" he asked.  
"Beginning synchronization now," Ritsuko replied.  
Inside the entry plug, lights began flashing all around Shinji and he began to feel like his nerves were now extra sensitive, like they were receiving more data than they were used to. Shinji found the experience rather strange but kept his mouth shut.  
"Synchronization at 42.5%!" Maya called out.  
"No problems in the synchro graph!" came another voice.  
"Amazing!" Ritsuko remarked. She turned to Misato and stated, "It's going to work!"  
"Understood. Shinji get ready! LAUNCH EVA UNIT 01!"  
  
  
End Chapter 2  
  
AN: Well, I said I would change Shinji a bit, and I did! I don't think that he should have been as spineless as he was in the series. Sure, a little spineless, but not to the point where running away was his choice for every situation. I do plan on keeping him a little cowardly though. As for the thing with Rei, in the series, Shinji gets into the Eva after Rei is brought out and hurt even more during the explosion. In the manga, he states that after the battle with the 3rd angel, he didn't get in to save her, only because he wanted his father to be proud of him. I have a different take. Throughout the entire series, Shinji rises to the occasion with a rather abundant amount of courage to save the lives of others. Asuka, for example, after the battle with the 8th angel. I believe that Shinji did so again here, unconsciously maybe, but nevertheless, he chose to pilot to protect Rei. Now I have to thank Jon Cook and Melkor for reviewing my fic. Jon, thank you for the information on the H-Bomb. My understanding previously was that in order to get a thermonuclear explosion (Hydrogen Bomb) you needed to reach a certain energy level gained only through series of nuclear explosions. I maybe wrong, in fact I probably am so thanks for telling me. Melkor, I thank you a lot for your comments. I'll try and not make this dull. My problem in writing this fic is that all my previous writing experience comes from writing poems and writing reports and essays for school. I hope I can get into my groove quickly, but I have to ask you to bear with me. One more thing, you wouldn't happen to be interested in pre-reading for me would you? I got no one to turn to here so I'm trying to write this without other people to bounce it off of before I release it. If you can, please E-Mail me at matterhorn45@hotmail.com. I appreciate it, thanks!  



	3. Enigma

Neon Genesis Evangelion:  
A Young Man's Trials  
Chapter 3  
Enigma  
  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Eva. I wish I did because I could've made a rather large amount of money off of it. Oh well… I guess I'll have to be satisfied writing for my personal satisfaction for nothing… sigh.  
  
  
"LAUNCH EVA UNIT 01!"  
No sooner had Misato yelled, Shinji was sent up a shaft at an incredible velocity, traveling several miles in just a few seconds. When he arrived at the surface, he was face to face with the angel. Shinji immediately froze when he saw it again and just stared at it.  
"Shinji, just try to concentrate on walking right now. Remember, just act like you want to walk and the Eva will understand and walk," Ritsuko's came.  
Finally snapping out of his fear, Shinji began to visualize himself walking. He concentrated on simply moving one foot at a time and was rewarded when he felt something seem to understand what he wanted as the Eva took a step forward.  
"He… he did it! He's walking!" Misato yelled.  
Shinji was overwhelmed with feelings that coursed through him as he tried to take another hesitant step forward. However, at the last moment, he was suddenly filled with a feeling of self-doubt and inadequacy. The Eva stopped its forward gait and seemed to falter and lose its balance, propelling itself forward and into the ground. Shinji felt the impact and was a little dazed by it.  
"Shinji! GET UP! HURRY!" Misato screamed.  
Shinji looked up and saw the angel looming over him and was petrified with fear. He could only stare as the angel's arm flashed out and grabbed the Eva by its head and lift it up. Shinji felt his own head being raised and a sudden pain in his neck from the sudden jerking motion that he had just experienced. Feebly, Shinji managed to lash out with the gigantic robot's right arm but the angel simply caught it and began squeezing… hard. Shinji felt his arm suddenly explode in pain as the angel dislocated the robot's right arm. He almost passed out from the pain when sudden motion caused him to look up. The arm that was holding the Eva's head became brighter as a lance of energy impacted against the cranial armor on the Eva.  
Shinji quickly forgot about the pain on his own right arm as his left eye exploded into even greater pain. He began screaming as the pain simply intensified until the angel managed to penetrate the cranial armor, launching the Eva backwards into a building. Shinji could no longer feel the left side of his face and was quickly slipping into unconsciousness. Before he went under, he managed to think one thought, "I'm sorry, Rei." He fell unconscious before he could feel another presence inside the Eva, one boiling with rage and concern…  
  
  
(What sound does a respirator and life support equipment give off? Oh well, I'll just insert a random sound.)  
  
SHHK… SHHK… SHHK  
  
Shinji slowly awakened from a thankfully dreamless to the sound of something mechanical. Suddenly, he sat upright in surprise as he took in his surroundings. He didn't recognize the sterile room that he was in. Everything was white, immaculately clean, and barren of any sort of decoration. Shinji collapsed back into the bed that he was lying in. "Unfamiliar ceiling," was all that he muttered.  
A few hours later, Shinji was walking around the hospital and managed to catch news broadcast:  
"The incident that occurred yesterday was caused by an unknown entity that caused a significant amount of damage to the city of Tokyo 3 and Tokyo 2. Our military forces, spearheaded by the UN 3rd corps managed to destroy the entity before further damage could be done. That concludes this press conference."  
Shinji gaped at the television screen uncomprehendingly. 'They didn't even mention anything about the robot that I was in? Was that all a dream? I don't feel any pain in my arm and I can see with my left eye, maybe it was a dream. But if that's the case, why am I in a hospital in Tokyo 3?'  
Shinji's musings were interrupted when a loud sound resonated throughout the hospital's immaculately clean hallways. He looked up curiously and saw a hospital bed being moved by several doctors and nurses with a single… blue… haired… occupant.  
Before he realized what he was doing, Shinji stood and crossed the hallway to where the girl was and quickly walked alongside her bed, ignoring the doctors and nurses as he looked at her. "Rei Ayanami," Shinji murmured quietly.  
Rei opened her eyes halfway and managed to whisper, "Co- Comm- Commander Ikari?" Shinji was surprised to hear the girl speak his father's name. Before Shinji could even gather his thoughts, the girl closed her eyes again and slipped into unconsciousness. At that point, shock had caught up to young Shinji and he simply stopped in his tracks as he tried to figure out why she had just said his father's name.  
"Shinji?"  
The young boy turned around when he heard his name called and saw Misato standing behind him. "Miss Katsuragi… I, uh, I, uh didn't expect to see you here," he managed lamely.  
The lavender-haired woman simply gave him a radiant smile, "Come on Shinji! HQ is taking care of your living arrangements and you've rated single quarters. I'm here to take you to them."  
"Oh, okay."  
The mismatched pair made their way to an elevator and waited for the door to open to take them to the ground floor. However, when the doors opened, they revealed one Gendo Ikari. Shinji looked up at his father's face and was disquieted by his father's cold stare. Before he realized what he was doing, Shinji looked away from his father's stare. The elevator doors closed in front of them, blocking their view of one another.  
After the doors closed, Shinji simply stood there, trying to absorb all the feelings that he had just experienced. Misato looked at him quietly and was suddenly struck with an idea that made her grab for her cell phone and dial a number.  
"Ritsuko? Yeah it's me. Can you do me a favor? Get the paperwork worked out for me, I'm going to take Shinji back to live with me in my apartment," Shinji's head snapped to look at the woman talking on the cell phone with a look of incredulity on his face. "Oh don't be a worrywart! I'm not so desperate that I'd jump a 14 year old! Look, just get the paperwork for me; I'll take the responsibility, okay? Buh-bye!" Misato turned to look at Shinji and couldn't help but to laugh at the expression on his face.  
"This isn't funny Misato! What is this crazy idea that you just came up with?"  
"Oh you're going to be living with me! Someone has to make sure that you don't do anything stupid and to also take care of you!"  
"That's insane! You've got to be kidding! Who are you to be making all these arbitrary decisions?! Besides, why do I have to live with you in the first place? It's crazy!"  
"Will you shut up already?! What part of 'Commanding Officer' don't you understand?" Misato said with the Misato look of death. All Shinji could do was develop a rather profuse sweat drop as Misato grabbed his hand and dragged him towards her car.  
A few minutes later, the pair were speeding off at speeds that only Misato could manage with Misato's laughter filling the car, "ALL RIGHT! We're gonna have a party tonight! We'll have to stop off and buy some things, all right Shinji?"  
"Oh, okay. Uh, Misato, just what are we celebrating?"  
"The arrival of my new roommate of course! What did you think?"  
"Sorry."  
Seconds later, Misato threw the little sports car into a sharp bank and skidded into a parking space and exited the car with a jaunty, "I'll be right back!" Shinji for his part mainly just sank back into his seat. He instinctively put his hand into his pocket to pull out his SDAT player. He quietly put in his earbuds and pressed the play button. A violin began to play at a moderate volume. The violinist managed to make her bow dance over the strings, giving the music a joyful, exuberant energy. Shinji was so engrossed in the music that he didn't notice Misato return. He continued to listen and began to lose himself in the strains of music, bringing a smile of pleasure onto his face and a feeling of contentment washed over him. As the song ended, Shinji opened his eyes to reveal a smiling Misato looking at him.  
Shinji promptly jumped a few inches in surprise and Misato began to chuckle a little before passing him a few bags of groceries to carry. One bag was filled with instant food and the other was filled with… beer. Lots of beer. Pounds of beer. Beer up the yin-yang. Misato ignored the sour look on Shinji's face as he looked at the contents of the second bag and started the car off again at an unthinkable velocity. Shinji turned his SDAT back on played the next song and listened as an orchestra played. Where the previous song had provided an exuberant energy, this song was ponderous in tempo and contemplative in quality.  
As Shinji listened, his thoughts turned to what had happened in the hospital and he began to frown unconsciously as he tried to connect his father and Rei. He could not understand why Rei had called him Commander Ikari and why she would want to call for his father. A hand placed gently on his shoulder shattered his thoughts and Shinji turned to look at it.  
"Hey Shinji, come one, I want to show you something," Misato said.  
Shinji stopped his SDAT and exited the car, following Misato to a railing on the side of the road. When he looked out, he saw the city of Tokyo 3 but saw it not as a city, rather as a deserted group of buildings. "Is that the city? It looks so… desolate," he said.  
"Just about… now," Misato replied looking up from her watch.  
Shinji was about to ask what she meant when a sound brought his attention back to Tokyo 3. What he saw was a breathtaking sight as several buildings began to emerge from their underground armored shelters. "Whoa! The city is rising!"  
"This is Tokyo 3, Shinji. This is the city that you saved."  
  
  
AN:  
Chapter 3 is done! I'd like to take this time to thank Melkor for pre-reading for me and for giving me his opinions before release. I would also like to thank Jon Cook for his generous offer to ask him for any sort of conventional weapon data. Lastly I'd like to thank everyone for reviewing (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more, say no more) my fic. See you all in the next chapter.  



End file.
